Lessons
PocketSign
PocketSign

How to Sign "Cheetah"

To sign cheetah, start by forming a '1' handshape with both hands, keeping your index fingers extended and your other fingers tucked away. Place the tips of your index fingers just below the inner corners of your eyes. Smoothly trace your fingers down your cheeks and slightly outward towards your jawline. This downward motion mimics the distinctive dark tear marks found on a cheetah's face. Keep your movement deliberate and simultaneous on both sides to clearly distinguish it from other signs.

Examples Using "Cheetah" in a Sentence

1

The cheetah runs incredibly fast.

First, sign cheetah by tracing the tear marks on your face. Then, use the sign for fast by pulling your 'L' hands back into 'S' hands, paired with an intense facial expression to emphasize the animal's incredible speed.

2

We saw a cheetah at the zoo today.

In ASL, it is helpful to establish the location first. Sign today, then zoo, followed by we and see. Finish the sentence by signing cheetah to show exactly what animal you observed.

3

A cheetah has dark black spots.

Start by signing cheetah. Then, to describe its appearance, sign black and use an 'F' handshape or curved fingers to dot around your body, visually indicating the animal's spotted coat.

How to Sign "Cheetah"
To sign cheetah, start by forming a '1' handshape with both hands, keeping your index fingers extended and your other fingers tucked away. Place the tips of your index fingers just below the inner corners of your eyes. Smoothly trace your fingers down your cheeks and slightly outward towards your jawline. This downward motion mimics the distinctive dark tear marks found on a cheetah's face. Keep your movement deliberate and simultaneous on both sides to clearly distinguish it from other signs.
Visual Logic(Etymology)
This sign is a wonderful example of how American Sign Language uses visual characteristics to identify animals. It is highly iconic and visually motivated by the cheetah's most recognizable facial feature: the solid black 'tear marks' that run from the inner corners of its eyes down to the sides of its mouth. These markings help reflect the sun's glare for the animal in the wild, and in ASL, they provide a perfect, unique identifier that sets the cheetah apart from other big cats.
Signing Tips
Keep your movements smooth and deliberate when tracing the lines down your face. The key to this sign is starting right below the inner corners of your eyes to accurately represent the cheetah's unique facial markings. Make sure you don't start at the nose or pull outward, as that would look like you are signing cat or showing whiskers. Maintaining a neutral or descriptive facial expression helps clarify that you are describing an animal's appearance rather than showing an emotion like crying.
Common Mistakes
Beginners often confuse this sign with the signs for cat or tiger because they are all felines. Remember that cat involves pulling an 'F' or '8' handshape outward from the cheeks to show whiskers, and tiger uses clawed hands pulling back across the face to show stripes. In contrast, cheetah specifically uses index fingers tracing straight down from the eyes to show the animal's distinct tear marks. Be careful not to alternate your hands, which might look like the sign for cry.
Regional Variations
This sign is widely used and understood across the ASL community with minimal regional variation.
Examples Using "Cheetah" in a Sentence
1

The cheetah runs incredibly fast.

First, sign cheetah by tracing the tear marks on your face. Then, use the sign for fast by pulling your 'L' hands back into 'S' hands, paired with an intense facial expression to emphasize the animal's incredible speed.

2

We saw a cheetah at the zoo today.

In ASL, it is helpful to establish the location first. Sign today, then zoo, followed by we and see. Finish the sentence by signing cheetah to show exactly what animal you observed.

3

A cheetah has dark black spots.

Start by signing cheetah. Then, to describe its appearance, sign black and use an 'F' handshape or curved fingers to dot around your body, visually indicating the animal's spotted coat.

Frequently Asked Questions
Do I always need to use this sign for cheetah?

Not necessarily. Because cheetah is a highly specific and somewhat less common animal in daily conversation, many Deaf individuals will simply fingerspell C-H-E-E-T-A-H. Fingerspelling is especially useful if the topic of wild cats hasn't been brought up yet. Once the context is clear, you can use the facial marking sign to refer back to it easily.

How do I avoid confusing this sign with the sign for crying?

While both signs involve tracing lines down the face from the eyes, they have distinct differences. Crying usually involves alternating your index fingers down your cheeks and requires a sad or emotional facial expression. Cheetah is a single, deliberate downward stroke with both fingers moving simultaneously, paired with a neutral expression.

Can I just use the signs for 'cat' and 'fast' instead?

While you could sign fast cat to describe the animal's traits, it isn't the actual name of the animal. Using the specific tear-mark sign or fingerspelling the word is much clearer and more accurate for identifying the exact species. Describing it as a fast cat is great for adding detail, but shouldn't replace the noun.

ASL is a beautiful, expressive language. Practice regularly and have fun!